


The Lies that We Love to Whisper

by Bobopacca (Im_Chamsae)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Blackmail, Crime, First Love Gone Wrong, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Wrongly Accused
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:28:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29131068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Im_Chamsae/pseuds/Bobopacca
Summary: “You were blackmailing him,”“And blackmail does not account to telling a grown man who is responsible for his own actions to kill himself,” Katrina retorted back. “Not unless the definition of assisted suicide has changed suddenly.”When Katrina Millie, a down-on-her-luck novelist reunites with her first love, Will Brookes, the heir of a notable publishing firm, she finds herself helping him break off his arranged engagement in hopes of securing a book deal in a bid of desperation. But things don’t go the way she planned, and soon she finds herself as the prime suspect behind an unfortunate, unintended suicide.Now suddenly, her world’s turned upside down and her only way out seems to come in the form of one sardonic, coffee dependent Detective Johann Smith, the only woman who seems to be willing to listen and that’s only because it’s her job too.
Kudos: 11





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Another original story. I have also uploaded this on my Wattpad.
> 
> The inner forensic anthropologist in me will try and get this as scientifically accurate as possible.

If somebody was to ever tell her three years ago that she would one day find herself sitting in an interrogation room, the prime suspect of an assisted suicide case, Katrina Millie would have laughed and easily dismissed them as delusional. 

Yet, here she was.

Sitting by a metal table, her hands cuffed together by a pair of cold, steel restraints as she stared blankly at the wall which she very well knew to be a one-way mirror. No doubt that standing behind them were a group of investigators just watching her, waiting for her to crack. As her dark brown eyes drifted to the ceiling above, there was no doubt in her mind that she had hit rock bottom, the lowest point in her life.

The door to the room clicked open as a woman entered. Pulling out the chair in front of her, her new companion sat herself down comfortably across her. She placed a paper cup of water in front Katrina, gesturing for the younger woman to take it.

“It’s not drugged.” She assured her.

Doubtful, Katrina glanced at it suspiciously, “Are you sure? Because the last I heard, you all had accidentally got a suspect killed in this police station because he had a severe allergic reaction to the water you fed him – the result of a new drug that was administered as treatment. One that just so happened to have a very terrible effect on people who are allergic to shellfish.”

It had been in the headlines a while back, and was still a sore point for some of the few officers who had been responsible for the victim, this detective included.

“Are you allergic to shellfish?”

Katrina shrugged. “Not that I’m aware of.” Regardless, she still wouldn’t dare touch that cup.

“Fine.” The woman across her sighed. She picked up the paper cup and placed it down on the edge of the table, away from her potentially allergic to shellfish suspect. “You know why you’re here, don’t you?”

Katrina nodded. “The charges were read out to me when they arrested me,” She told her. “Assisted suicide, I believe.”

The woman bobbed her head, pulling out the image of a young smiley ginger haired man from her file and positioning it down in front of Katrina. “This man.” A single finely manicured finger tapped against the photograph.

A familiar face to her.

“Henry,” Remarked the brunette, naming the photographed individual with ease.

“He penned a very public letter, one that the media has gotten a hold of,” Said the woman, her tone serious as she stared closely at Katrina’s face, in an attempt to read her following emotions.

She caught the gist of what the woman was trying to say, “And just because he mentioned my name in his letter, I am now being charged with assisted suicide.” Stated Katrina, plainly.

“You were blackmailing him,”

“And blackmail does not account to telling a mentally stable grown man who is responsible for his own actions to kill himself,” Katrina retorted back. “Not unless the definition of assisted suicide has changed suddenly.”

The woman across her sighed, leaning back in her seat as she folded her arms across her chest. “Look, the media is convinced of your guilt. You’re being painted as a murderer, we have people calling to tell us to hang you, or have you put on death row.” She told it to Katrina straight. There was no point of beating around the bush anymore. As a detective working in criminal investigations, Johann Smith already knew that it probably best to just be direct when it came to people like Katrina.

“And so are you apparently, so much for being impartial.” Replied Katrina, rolling her eyes as she did.

The girl really knew how to get on people’s nerves.

With a strained smile, Johann leaned forward as she clasped her hands together, resting her elbows on the cool surface of the metallic table. “Then you tell me, what happened, huh?” Inquired Johann, giving Katrina a chance to speak. Perhaps a chance for her to come clean and prove her innocence, if she was that is. “What happened with Henry? Why did you suddenly start blackmailing him? Last I heard, he was supposed to be your friend.”

Katrina commented, tiredly. “It’s a long story.”


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashback to the beginning of how this mess all began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for the kudos and reads, I really appreciate it!

"It was a bust," Said Katrina, defeatedly.

She shifted the manilla envelope tucked beneath her arm as she balanced her phone against her ear, struggling to dig out her wallet from the inner depths of her handbag. Fishing out a five-dollar bill, she paid for her parking ticket.

 _"Oh no,"_ Replied Annie, her long-time friend and roommate, from across the line. _"I'm sure it wasn't too bad."_

'Too bad?' It had been an absolute disaster according to her publishing agent.

What had been the exact words that Jen had used: "An unsellable masterpiece that just seemed too out of touch of reality." Reiterated Katrina for the young woman on the other side.

There was a pause.

_"... That bad huh?"_

"Yep," Said Katrina, tiredly. "That bad."

She yanked open the front door of her car, tossing the manila file down into the passenger seat as she got in, locking the car after her.

 _"... You need some space?"_ Asked Annie, knowingly.

Katrina ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, I'll call you later... after I, you know, calm down a bit." She hung up, dropping her phone aside as it landed on her manuscript – another failed manuscript.

Sighing to herself, she shut her eyes and rested her forehead against her steering wheel.

She just didn't understand it. Where did she all go wrong?

The first ever book she wrote, fresh out of college, had been a best-seller. A story that had won a multitude of awards when it first came out, one that sold out within a matter of weeks. And she had loved it, cherished every second of it, living off the high of being an acclaimed novelist, going on book tours around the country and now... she couldn't even write a decent book to save her, or pay her rent for that matter.

No matter how hard she tried, everything she seemed to write now just got rejected in the initial stages.

"Maybe you're not doing something that you did when you first wrote, you know?" Her publishing agent, Jen had suggested. "Why don't you try and retrace your steps back to that time, before you wrote that first book?"

Yeah, that first book – ' _A Faded Distance_ '.

The bittersweet romance novel that she had written after the heartbreak of her first love. An experience that she had emotionally struggled to come to grips and terms with, so much so that she had let everything out into the book. She had written all about her experiences with Will in it, from the moment they had first met during their orientation, till the very end when he dumped her outside her door because he had to leave to study abroad. Something which his parents had forced upon him. And a decision that she had only learnt of when he turned up at the doorstep with suitcase in hand before he was conveniently going to the airport.

It was hard, three years of commitment for a man who she really believed was the one. And to be fair, she still does ... no other guy that came after him could really compare to Will.

_Knock, knock, knock._

Katrina turned her head to the side, glancing briefly at the man outside her window. He looked ... familiar, actually, a lot like Will.

'Great.'

"I must be missing him so much that I'm starting to see him outside my car now, knocking on my window," Muttered Katrina, beneath her breath. She turned her head back to its original resting position. Just wishing for all her struggles to simply go away.

_Knock, knock, knock!_

Her eyes flew wide open.

'Or not.'

Suddenly, she sat up in her car seat a little straighter, her bewildered eyes wide. Her fingers moved to roll the window down, as her outdoor stranger crouched down to speak.

"Hi, I just wanted to say that you drop – _Kat?_ "

"Will," Said Katrina, equally as stunned by the man's sudden appearance. "Funny seeing you here."

'Think of the man, and he really shall come apparently.'

"Yes, it really is." Said Will with a laugh to his tone. He was all smiles, just like how she remembered him to be. "You, um, dropped this, I believe."

The young man passed a few sheets of familiar paper through the open gap – pieces of her manuscript.

"Oh!" Her eyes flew down to the envelope by her side, she hadn't even realised that she had failed to close it properly at the time. She must have been so upset with how her meeting with Jen had ended that she had just shoved it in before leaving hastily. "I didn't even realise that some of the pages had gotten out," Said Katrina, her hands gratefully taking the sheets from him. "Thank you."

Will smiled. "You're welcome, it looked important so I thought that I might as well give them back to you." He told her before glancing over at her once more. His eyes did a quick sweep before he spoke, "You look good, Kat."

It brought a smile to her face to hear that. She tucked a short dark strand behind her ear, pleased. "I could say the same for yourself," Said Katrina, before a sudden thought crossed her mind. Her brows knitted together as she looked back at him, "What are you doing here?" She asked him, curiously.

The man shrugged. "Oh, you know, work." Admitted Will, glancing briefly down at the watch strapped to his wrist. "Hey, I'm a little tight on time right now, but if you're willing to meet up some time later for a coffee or two?"

'Coffee with Will?'

"Yeah," Replied Katrina, a smile on her lips. "Sure, I would like that actually." She told him. "It would be nice to catch up with you again."

"Great, um," Said Will, digging into pockets as he pulled a card from his wallet, handing it over to her. "Here's my business card, give me a call then." Katrina took it graciously.

"Sure."

* * *

"Wait, wait, wait," Interrupted Johann, suddenly. "So, this guy led you on for three years and then dumped you on your doorstep, before leaving to fly off to another country to suddenly 'study abroad'. And he had left you so heartbroken that you wrote a best-seller book about it, and you still wanted to grab coffee with him?"

"You never really get over your first love." Stated Katrina. "Besides, at that point in time, I'll admit, I was a little crazy."

Johann raised a brow, "A little?"

"I was hopeful, okay? I thought that maybe ... something good could come out of it."

* * *

"And you agreed to go?"

Annie folded her arms across her chest as she stared back at the young woman in front of her, who had the gall to actually seem calm with all of this.

Katrina shrugged from where she stood, her coffee mug in hand. "Well, why not?" She didn't see any harm in it.

Unfortunately, Annie did not agree at all.

"Why not?" Repeated the young woman in disbelief. "Do you not remember what happened during the fall of your breakup with him?"

Because Annie certainly had, and it had not been a pretty sight at all.

Katrina bit her bottom lip, "... vaguely ..."

She was a little hazy about the details, but she knew that it had involved alcohol; a lot of alcohol and a few boxes of dark chocolate at night. There had been tears, tissues and maybe, one too many break up songs on repeat.

Annie was not amused. "Then why don't you pick up your book and have a read through it, remember exactly what he put you through?" Said the blonde-haired woman, jabbing a thumb towards the bookshelf of their shared apartment where a copy of her book sat, an ever-wonderful reminder of her forsaken glory.

"Oh, come on, Annie," Said Katrina, rolling her eyes. "That's all in the past, I've moved on by now. And so has he, probably."

"Exactly, you've both moved on. So, stay moved on and stay out of each other's lives."

"Look at his card," Said Katrina, pointing over to their kitchen countertop behind her.

Annie's eyes glanced over at it briefly, but she made no moves to walk closer. "Why?"

"Just take a look at it." Katrina picked up the card as she handed it over to her friend to see. Annie reluctantly accepted the card, her eyes still not impressed. He could be the next President for goodness sakes, and Annie still wouldn't be impressed by it. Her disdain for the man simply ran too deep. "See this, Brooke Publishing." Pointed out Katrina.

A brow rose on Annie's pallid face, "As in the same Brooke Publishing that printed the ' _Where the Lies Sleep'_ _se_ ries?" Inquired the blonde.

"Yep," Confirmed Katrina, nodding.

"And that best-selling private eye series too, the one that just got a movie adaptation?"

"That's the very one – William Brookes, as in the very same Will Brookes who is the current heir, set to take over the publishing firm from his father. An even more acclaimed firm that the one I'm currently with."

'Oh no,' Annie knew what Katrina was thinking.

"Kat," Said Annie, turning to look at her friend seriously now. "Don't do it. If Jen rejected your current manuscript, she must have done it for a very good reason."

"But Annie, you read the story yourself and you loved it." Reasoned Katrina.

"But I'm not a publishing agent, Jen is. She actually knows way more than me, so much more." Said Annie, earnestly. Tiredly, she looked at Katrina, placing an assuring hand on her friend's shoulder now. "Look, I know that you're struggling to pay your share of the rent this month but you don't need to go to such lengths to do so. I can cover your part again this month, you'll ju – "

Katrina cut her off. "Annie, no. It's not fair on you to do that for me." Knowing that she would get no further in this conversation with her roommate, the brunette ran a defeated hand through her dark bob. "Fine, I promise I won't even think about publishing with Will, okay? I'll just go and grab a coffee with him. Nothing more, nothing less. Okay?"

Annie narrowed her eyes at her, "You promise?"

"I swear. After all, what could possibly go wrong?"

* * *

"Clearly a lot of things if a man turned up dead." Remarked Johann, bluntly.

"You know, this story would go along a lot faster if you didn't keep interrupting me." Said Katrina, Johann shrugged before gesturing for her to continue. "Now, where was I?"

"Coffee. Something that I really need right now with how your side of the story is going."

Katrina ignored Johann, "Right, so I met Will for coffee."

* * *

Like she had promised Annie, not a single hint nor mention of a potential publication deal would slip out of her mouth during their time together. But that didn't mean she wouldn't drop little hints here and there about what she was doing for a living, mainly the fact that she was a writer, who was currently working on a new publishable book.

"So, what have you been up to lately?" Asked Will, curiously as they sat in a small book café, one not so far from the location where they had previously encountered each other. "I'd imagine that it's something to do with publishing since I caught you at the Sharp Publishing House the other day."

"Oh, you know," Katrina shrugged from across the man, taking a quick sip of her drink as she did. "Just a few articles here and there."

His eyes perked up, "Journalist?"

Katrina laughed, shaking her head as she did so. "No, I'm a novelist actually." But she could imagine why he'd think so.

"Oh, really?"

Katrina nodded, "Yeah, but I do write a few freelance articles for newspapers, or magazines when I can." Admitted the brunette. 'It helps to pay the rent at times.'

"And your current novel?" Questioned Will.

'In the trash.' 

"It's still at the drafting stage, but it's getting there. I was actually meeting with my agent that day." Said Katrina, smiling through her teeth. It was a stretch of the truth, but it wasn't outright a lie.

Will seemed to take it, nodding as he did. "Well, that's great. I'm glad to see that things have worked out well for you in life, Kat, you've always loved writing." Said the young man. "Tell you what, when your book gets published, I'll help you out and even introduce it to a few friends of mine in the publishing circle. To help get it off the ground, not that I think it'll need it since it is coming from the critically acclaimed author of ' _A Faded Distance_ '."

She felt as though he had just thrown a curveball at her. Katrina coughed, instantly regretting the decision to take a sip of her coffee that time. "Oh ... you read that?" She had really been hoping that he would never touch it. Honestly, it was best if he hadn't.

"Well, no ... but my girlfriend did, and she really loves it – her favourite book in fact." Answered Will, truthfully.

"Oh, your girlfriend ..."

Will nodded, smiling dreamily. "Yeah, my girlfriend." He told her before he glanced back down onto the table where his phone had started to go off. A frown crossed his face before he sent an apologetic look her way, "Sorry, I've got to take this. I'll be right back." Will stood up to leave, grabbing his phone as he did.

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead." Said Katrina, but the man was already on his way out. As she watched him go, she sighed to herself, looking down at the mug in her hand. "Of course, he's taken." Muttered the brunette. She should have expected as much, Will was practically perfect. Thinking back to their college days, he had been pretty popular back then too.

But still, it still did sting a little to know.

Katrina glanced outside through the glass windows; where she could see Will talking.

A firm line on his lips as he appeared to be engaged in a rather heated conversation. He didn't seem too pleased in the slightest as it looks like the caller had left him hanging, abruptly ending their conversation with the young man. Will shook his head tiredly before he re-entered the café as the young man sat back down across her.

"You alright there, Will?" Asked Katrina, concerned.

"Sorry, I'm – it's just my mother." Said Will, running a hand through his dark hair. "You know how she is."

'Your mother?' Yeah, Katrina could vividly recall exactly what she was like. MaryAnn Brookes was not the nicest, nor warmest person in the world.

"... Yeah." Said Katrina, taking a quick sip of her drink. "But what's the big idea though, she got what she wanted by sending you away to study business? You're technically in the role that she always wanted you to have, I can't imagine what more she could ever ask of you." She told him, honestly.

"She wants me to get married."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you've enjoyed it.


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our overly determined female lead discovers a scandalous web of lies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!

“She wants me to get married.”

Her mouth dropped open briefly, but no words seemed to come out. It was like another curve ball had been sent her way, only this time, she didn’t dodge it.

For a moment, Katrina had to check if she had actually heard the man correctly. “ _Marriage_ – as in, the legal union of two people?” She asked him in clarification.

Will nodded.

“Oh, well … congratulations then,” Said Katrina, but Will did not seem happy in the slightest. A frown forming on his lips now, she must have gotten something wrong then. “You are getting married to your girlfriend, right?” Katrina raised a brow.

Will shook his head, picking up his cup as he did. “No, to someone of my mother's picking.” He took a long sip, feeling a slight headache starting to form, like how it always did whenever it came to anything related to the older woman.

“Oh …” Said Katrina, instantly realising the situation at hand. “So, an arranged marriage then?”

He nodded. “An arranged marriage to the heiress of another publishing firm.”

“And you can’t just marry your girlfriend because ...?”

Will sighed. “She’s not like us, her family isn’t from old money. Frankly, my mother doesn’t think she’s suitable enough for me but Helen is … she’s perfect for me.” Said Will, a reminiscent smile on his lips as he spoke. “She’s all I could have ever asked for.”

Katrina wasn’t going to deny that that didn’t hurt a little. She took another sip of her drink to push the thought away and asked, “And your mother won’t move on her decision at all?”

“Not in the slightest, she doesn’t want a grandchild out of this union, she wants a company merger.” Answers Will plainly.

“Have you tried talking to her about this? Like, heart to heart?” Asked Katrina, “I mean, you’re her son, her flesh and blood after all.”

Will sighed, placing his cup down. “As much as I would love to play the son card on her, Kat, I’m a little doubtful that she would actually listen to me,” Replied the man firmly, before adding, “Or anyone else for that matter.”

Katrina knows that Will's mother is as stubborn as a rock. Once his mother has made up her mind about something, she would always stick with it and nothing anybody would do or say could change her mind about it. However, it had only happened on once, during an extremely rare occurrence when his mother had gone back on a decision. And that had only been because of Katrina’s stubborn persistence back in college.

Something that she remembered very well.

“Maybe I could try and talk to her,” Suggested Katrina, her eyes brazen with determination as she looked at him.

Although Will looked hesitant, “You?”

Katrina nodded back. “Come on, Will, you have to admit that I’m a convincing human being.” She told him. “I got her to agree in the past to let you go on that camping trip, didn’t I?” Katrina reminded him.

It had been their annual department weekend getaway, something which his mother had scoffed at and labelled as a complete waste of time. Despite the fact that he had already reached adulthood by that point, Will had found himself unable to attend due to his mother’s intervention. Upset about the prospect of not being able to go on a camping trip with her boyfriend of one year (at that point), Katrina had taken it upon herself to go and talk to his mother much to the older woman’s disdain.

She had even gone so far as setting up a tent outside their family home, refusing to leave until the Brookes matriarch would give her permission for him to go – which surprisingly worked. But it was probably due to the fact that his mother had not wanted the media to catch on to the scene, ruining their family's prestigious image.

As amusing, and as much of an achievement it was, Will was incredibly doubtful that his mother would change her mind about this. It was not just his future on the line now, but the family’s and the company’s too.

“Yes, but I think the stakes are a little higher now, Kat.”

But it did little to defer her resolve. “Well, you’ll never know unless you try.” Said Katrina, stubbornly. “Where can I find your mother?”

Will sighed, knowing very well that it was hopeless at this point to talk Katrina out of it. In a way, Katrina was similar to his mother, once an idea was in her mind (even the most terrible ones), it was incredibly difficult to talk her out of it. But perhaps that was a good thing, maybe she really could help convince his mother to change her mind.

At this point, he was desperate for a way out and he saw no harm in unleashing his ex-girlfriend on her.

On a spare napkin left to the side, Will jotted down his mother’s work address, a subsidiary company to Brooke Publishing that mainly focused on marketing. It was the building that he knew she mostly spent her days at, and would be the most probable location that she currently was at.

Sliding the napkin over to an eager Katrina, Will took one last sip of his coffee.

“You can give it your best shot, but don’t say that I didn’t warn you.”

* * *

_“_ _And you agreed to his stupid proposition?”_

Katrina winced as she pulled the phone away from her ear, sinking just a little lower in her car’s driver seat. “Well, it wasn’t really a proposition, Annie.” She explained across the line.

_“What happened to just getting coffee and catching up?”_ Asked her friend in exasperation.

“We did.”

_“And look where that got you?”_ Said Annie, her tone dripping with disapproval. Katrina could bet that the girl was frowning now. _“You’re staking out in a car following your ex-boyfriend’s mother to try and convince her to break off an arranged engagement, and you’re not even dating the guy!”_

Well, she was right about that – Katrina’s car was indeed parked outside the building of the address Will had given her only a few hours ago.

“Annie,” Said Katrina.

_“Did you forget? This Will’s mother we’re talking about –_ _MaryAnn Brookes!_ ” Annie exclaimed. _“The very same woman who slapped a shopping catalogue into your hands, and told you to dress better when Will brought you to his family’s luncheon.”_

“To be fair – “

_“After she humiliated you by throwing a glass of red wine on that white dress you wore – mind you, **my** white dress that you borrowed.” _Added Annie, bitterly.

Right. That had happened.

She would never forget the look of mortification and horror on Annie’s face when she came back from that luncheon in that borrowed dress, and a fresh new stain on the front. Annie had cried over that, spending the next few hours hand scrubbing at those gruesome red stains to no end.

Will had felt so bad when she told him about it that he had even offered to have it replaced for her, but unless he somehow knew how to revive the dead and bring Grandmother Wright back for a day to make Annie another one, it was almost impossible to replace. Luckily, with help from the internet, they had managed to get the stains out but that didn’t mean Annie had ever forgotten what the older woman had done.

Katrina sighed, bringing a hand to her forehead. “Yeah … sorry about that.”

She could hear Annie huff annoyedly on the line. “ _Kat, come home now.”_ Pleaded Annie. _“Just stop all this nonsense, please. Nothing good ever comes out of meeting with that woman.”_ She told her.

Katrina sighed once more, before throwing her hand up. She glanced over at the entrance of the building as the glass doors slid open. “I can’t, I told Will that I would give it a shot and tell him what happens … that is, if I can ever get the time to actually talk to her. The woman is so busy that she’s only leaving her company now.” And indeed, it was the devil herself.

Fishing her car keys out of her black purse, Katrina watched as MaryAnn unlocked her car and walked towards the white luxury vehicle, a stark contrast to the novelist’s five-year-old one.

_“Then come home already, and try again tomorrow for goodness sake. Who knows, maybe the woman would be in a better mood to talk to you. Or better yet, we can even put on a movie and forget all about this.”_

It was a pretty good offer, but Katrina had already waited too long to give up now. “… Tempting, but no.” Declined Katrina, turning down Annie’s offer as she started her car engine up once more. From the corner of her eye, she could see MaryAnn pull out of her parking spot, her white car on the move. “Is Henry working late again?” She asked, turning the loud speaker on as she dropped the phone into the passenger seat.

Katrina began to drive, starting to trail after MaryAnn. She had missed the opportunity to get down and talk to her earlier, but she was still hopeful that she would get another one soon if she followed her.

From the other side, Annie sighed. _“Yeah, he’s got another night shift today.”_ Said the young woman, in regards to her boyfriend.

It was not uncommon for Henry to take a few night shifts a week. Sure, Katrina found it a little odd that a flower shop would even need to have night shifts but she didn’t question it since it was paying the guy well enough that he could afford to take Annie out on weekly date nights to fancy hotels and restaurants. He pampered her, he made her happy and that’s all that mattered in Katrina’s opinion.

“You’ve got a good man there, Annie.” Said Katrina with a smile before her hand reached out to her phone. “I’ve got to go, she’s on the move.”

_“Ka – “_

She hung up on Annie quickly, not needing anymore distractions as Katrina followed the woman’s car onto the highway.

And it continued on like that for a good few minutes.

However, it wasn’t long before a frown settled on Katrina’s lips as she stared confusedly at the white vehicle driving in front of her. She had missed another exit, one that Katrina would have expected her to take if she was going to drive home. Yet, MaryAnn hadn’t.

Instead, the woman drove on along the highway for quite a while longer before finally taking an exit, one that led Katrina into the unknown.

They were in another side of town now, one that was not familiar to the writer in the slightest. An expression of confusion etched across her features as she stared out at the unfamiliar buildings, and the brightly lit street ahead of them.

“What the hell …” Muttered Katrina as she drove past an establishment, one that had a large sign with neon pink lights blinking away on top of it. As her hands gripped anxiously on the leather steering wheel, Katrina was feeling more and more uncomfortable by the second. “Where is she going at this time of night? And without her bodyguards too …” Wondered the brunette.

It did not take long before MaryAnn’s car pulled into the parking lot of one of the following buildings, it looked like a sort of bar from the outside but from the way there was group of handsome young gentleman waiting by the entrance, Katrina somehow had a feeling that this place was just a little more than that. “’Queen’s Paradise’?” Read the young woman, glancing over at the overhead sign.

She watched as MaryAnn disembarked from her car, approaching the group of men without any hesitation, a rare bright smile on her face as she reached her arms out for a hug. Her back was turned towards her, Katrina could not see the face of the young man she was hugging, but from the way she was passionately making out with him now, it was clear to the woman that she had stumbled upon something big.

MaryAnn Brookes was having an affair!

Katrina grabbed her phone, immediately moving to snap a photograph of the scene, catching the older woman in the act. Undeniable proof of what she had just found out, but it was difficult for her to get a clear shot of the kissing pair, especially since a couple of guys seemed to step in the way at times. Now if only she could get a clearer photograph of the pair, and maybe even a good look at MaryAnn’s lover’s face, it would make her life so much easier.

As luck would have it, the guys who had previously blocked her way began to move, stepping forward to greet a couple of female customers who had just arrived. Smiling, Katrina moved to taking a close up of the two just as the pair parted ways, giving her the perfect opportunity to get a clear picture of their faces. She took the shot, but at the same time, Katrina felt her throat go dry.

Suddenly, her heart sank in her chest as the phone in her hand lowered.

“No way …”

Katrina couldn’t believe it, but her eyes didn’t lie. She could recognise that face anywhere.

* * *

“And that man was Henry?”

Katrina nodded, silently. “Yep, that son of a bitch was Henry.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading.


End file.
